Raw Gourmet

This evening I went to my friend's fantastic raw vegan restaurant called Live.  I decided to treat myself to some raw delights. I ordered the Mediterranean platter of raw hummus, falafel, cabbage salad and creamy lentils. I also ordered, to eat the next day, a kelp noodle salad with sprouted mung beans and some sort of coriander dressing. I also bought a bag of nacho chips to take to work on Monday.

The Mediterranean platter was delicious. I loved every bite of it. Today was certainly not an 80/10/10 day and I'm paying the price for it. *SOUND OF FOGHORN* Now I feel icky, heavy, lethargic. The food was too heavy and my body is not happy about it even though my tastebuds were. I am now used to the lightness and real freshness of fruits. I want to stick my finger down my throat and vomit. WoW! I love my friend's restaurant and I've been going there for years; however, I now can't take the gourmet food...not as a main meal. About a couple hours after eating my meal, I popped in a few strawberries and immediately I felt better. I still feel heavy but not icky anymore. There is something to be said about the 80/10/10. I can't bring myself to follow any other type of raw diet.

I don't know what I am to do with that salad. I'm reluctant to eat it tomorrow but I hate waste. I can't bring myself to throw it out. At least it's nut-free. 

When I return to Live, I'll just order nut-free, seed-free and grain-free options. 

Tomorrow, I'll go running with my son to burn off the food. Tonight....I'll be in the bathroom.

My secret plan: Raw Veganism in the Workplace

Everyday I bring my green power smoothie to work and I would sometimes bring some for my co-workers. It's becoming a big hit at the office. I have some regulars looking forward to getting their mason jar of thick green deliciousness. There is a growing demand of my smoothie that I may have to start charging to cover the costs of the ingredients. I'm going to bring it up with my regulars and see what they think. What I may do is charge between $2.50-3.00 for the 500ml jar and $4.50-5.00 for the 1 litre jar. I will also consider using a portion of the money for charity. It's important to give back.

They mock me at work about being the vegan, health freak (which I embrace!). Yet, slowly but surely, I'm encouraging people to eat more fruits and vegetables. I once brought a huge bowl of fruit, I shared it with my co-workers and they practically ate it off. Hahaha. I love that.

Running my 10km race today!!

Today is the day I run the Mississauga Marathon. I'm doing the 10km. It's my first time and I'm very excited. It's something I've been planning since last year. It's been hard training with my work schedule and children but I know I'm going to have a blast and finish anyway. I so love the running community. There is such warmth and camaraderie. There is no competition between runners; you are always competing with yourself, which I love. I constantly want to improve myself and get better, even if it is just 5 seconds better. 

The weather is horrible. It's been raining with hail! I hope it stops by tonight. I know they won't cancel unless it is really bad....it's really bad. Crossing my fingers.

At the Mississauga Marathon expo, I went crazy shopping. I bought 2 running shirts. One says "Who moved the finish line", the other says "If found on ground, please drag to the finish line". Hahaha. Hilarious. 

I signed up for a 15km run in August 2009 called A Midsummer Night's Run (a take on the Shakespeare play). I'm also going to sign up to the Toronto Waterfront Marathon and do the half marathon. 

I am obsessed with running. I love this sport and I enjoy the 'me' time quality I get from running.

Update: The race was beautiful but tough. I struggled. I blame it on the fact that I didn't train enough outside and often. I finished in 1:24. That's not good. I'll do better next time. The good thing is that I finished!

Stress and Raw Veganism

I've been so stressed out the last couple of weeks that I've realized that stress makes me miserable and it makes me want to turn to cooked albeit vegan foods. I don't want to go down that path but I just don't know how to handle my stress sometimes. My job is very stressful (that's problem #1), my work schedule is stressful (problem #2), and balancing my work, my pleasures and my family can be stressful (problem #3). That leaves me with sleep and that has been stressful. I'm trying to find solutions to these problems. I need solutions to these problems.

Spring means Detox!

I love spring because it means that summer is coming. Winter is sometimes hard for me as a raw vegan. I tend to supplement my diet with steamed vegetables such as asparagus and other greens. Sometimes I treat myself to sauteed mushrooms. I know, I know, very baaaad. Hahaha. It's still my favourite cooked item. I'm not going to make a big deal about it. Once in a blue moon....or two. ;P

I've fallen in love with salads again. Yay! For the longest time, I was sick of eating salads because that was all I was eating. I try to stay away from the rich raw vegan dishes that are nut-heavy. The secret of loving salads again has been found in the dressings that are put on the salads. I've been experimenting and I'm on a kick with "Asian" flavours, meaning the taste of sesame and ginger. It's driving me crazy. I love it. I would like to use tahini but I find it too heavy. I'm starting use citrus and pineapple juices as a base. However, the only problem is that I get sooo hungry a couple hours later. Now that I've been preparing for the 10km race coming up May 9, I get extremely hungry. The 811 high fruit diet does satisfy the hunger. Fruit is filling and low-fat (with the exception of Durian). I can't do all fruit all of the time, I do enjoy my greens. I'll find a healthy balance.

So, I will be detoxing this spring so I can have a fantastic summer.